The paper by T. J. Bauerle – “Mineworker Fatigue: A Review of What We Know and Future Directions” gives a focused look at how fatigue affects workers in the mining industry. It explains that fatigue is not just about feeling tired – it is a measurable condition that can be tracked through self-reports, sleep diaries, and technologies like actigraphy that monitor rest and activity levels. The review shows that fatigue is highly common in mining because of factors such as shift work, long working hours, irregular schedules, poor lighting, noise, heat, and underground conditions with limited natural time cues. These factors disturb natural sleep patterns and recovery, leaving workers physically and mentally exhausted. From a QHSE perspective, this is critical because fatigue directly impacts attention, reaction time, and decision-making, leading to higher risks of injuries, machinery accidents, and environmental incidents. The paper highlights that fatigue is a systemic issue, not only an individual one, meaning companies need strong management strategies such as better scheduling, fatigue monitoring, training, and rest policies. Finally, the review points out that more research is needed on long-term health effects, the role of culture and leadership in managing fatigue, and practical interventions that balance production demands with worker safety. For mining, this means treating fatigue the same way we treat other hazards—as a safety risk that must be identified, measured, and controlled within QHSE systems. Source: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/55670